cre:ate breakout session

Last week at cre:ate we had a breakout session where we continued the process of Scan-Focus-Act. We honed in on the top things the “keep us up at night” as worship leaders, pastors, and ministry folk. We then identified action steps that have worked for others in ministry in relation to the problems.


Here are the action steps the group came up with:


Problem #1:

Not Spending Time With God

Action Steps:

-First and foremost develop a theology of “time with God.”
(i.e. time with God should not be equated with gaining knowledge)
-Identify other legitimate ways to spend time with God
-Talk with your people about what spending time with God looks like (through series’, crash courses, etc.—the teacher always learns more)
-Talk with your decision makers about the potential of hosting a church-wide cessation of all programs for a time i.e. week, month, etc. for the purpose of rest and time with God
-Develop new habits to “listen” to God i.e. podcasts, vodcasts, sermons on CD, Bible on CD, music

Problem #2:

Family issues/not spending time together/kids

Action Steps:

-Make a “contract” with God of the time you are willing to spend in your job (i.e. 45, 50 hours, etc.) and covenant with Him to keep your part of the bargain and trust Him to do what He does
-Sit with family and decide what things you are going to “remove” from your calendars. Don’t leave time blank. Create new traditions i.e. eating meals together, a week of “unplugging” from all technology, advent calendar, etc.
-Give ownership to your kids of family time. Your kids will hold you accountable.
-Keep a log book of the time you spend at work. Share it with your spouse/boss/children etc. Ask for feedback and accountability.

Problem #3

Leading Teams/Connecting with Teams

Action Steps:

-Make retreats a priority for your team with the intention of connecting. No big teaching agenda. No philosophy of ministry. Just hanging.
-Commit to an annual (minimum) recommitment exercise or ritual in order to remind the team why we do the things we do. This renews their commitment to you as a leader, the philosophy of ministry you espouse, and causes them to internalize their own commitment along with everyone else without having to call individuals on the carpet. “Fire” everyone at the end of each year and have everyone “reapply.”
-develop some sort of “resourcing” and “equipping” for your team to establish clear vision
-schedule times of celebration—celebrate victories—tell stories of life change within your team
-keep an “encouragement file” and share this encouragement with your team. Keep all encouraging letters, emails, cards, etc. Along with this file, institute a policy to throw away any comment cards that are not signed. Do not even read comments without a signature.